How much to feed my horse to maintain his weight??

Question

I have ample stored hay and a feed called 50/50 which is charf, lucern and grain mixture. He's on his own and there's now no feed in the paddock at all. He's 23 years old and not being ridden at this stage. 15.2 hands and always been a slim built appalossa. He's on the property were I live so I see him everyday of course.
Never had to hand feed him in summer before only in the winter, but with the drought there's just no grass left!! Because of his age I don't want to experiment with feed qty's and have him lose condition.
At the moment I'm giving him a big armload of hay in the morning and three big scoops of feed in the evening but he seems to be losing a litttle weight. This amount of feed in winter seems to be fine.

Any help would be appreciated.

Extra info: He's wormed regularly and is fit & well as far as I can tell. It's just that his ribs are just starting to show and it really worries me. His rumps still slightly rounded which is supposed to mean he's ok but being able to feel and start to see his ribs has me worried due to his age. He still runs around the paddock like a 3 year old. But I've had him fro 20 years and love him to death...suppose I'm just being a worry wart....but don't want to take any chances.

He's in an open paddock with trees for shade. It's summer here in Australia and as said above, there's a drought & no feed in the paddock so he only eats what I can give him.

Answer 1

I understand where you're coming from. I have done some studies in equine nutrition but I'm NOT A VET and, as always, reccomend you speak with your vet before making any dietary changes.

I have a semi-retired QHcross who is usually an easy keeper but I'm VERY Particular about his feed so that has alot to do with it.

Make sure your horse has at least 70% of his diet in forage (Grass, hay, hay cubes, etc.) Any more than that, and it doesn't work with the horse's dietary system. You can offer them an entire bag of grain but if they aren't getting at least 70% of their food in roughage/forage like grass/hay/cubes, etc, then their body will NOT process the grain's nutrients.

If your pastures are as bad as you indicate b/c of drought, I'd offer 2 flakes of hay in AM and 2 in PM.

Always feed hay before feeding grain. It slows down their digestion process and allows them to get all the nutrients out of their grain.

If your horse is 23 you may want to consider a higher protein feed. (I usually HATE high protein feeds, but in this instance, it may work for you.) This will help replace the protiens his body may loose from not having a diverse diet due to drought. I would suggest nothing with higher than 13% protein in it-- over that can be dangerous and damage kidneys and liver (unless your vet says otherwise.)

Also you can supplement his feed with Corn Oil. Corn oil is pure fat. You can get a large jug from the grocery store here in the states for a reasonable price. A good "Glug" (maybe 1/8 a cup or so?) per meal is usually right for most horses. (Mine is 15.2 also. About 1000lbs.)
Corn oil will help them fatten up. Its like you having candy bars and potato chips every meal. Its fattening and will definately help him keep a good layer of protective fat on during the winter. You will also notice his coat should start to get better conditioned and shinnier.

Also look into supplementing his diet with a product called Beet Pulp. Beet pulp is served wet. Most places let it soak for at least 3 hours before serving. Its a biproduct of the sugar beet industry. When sugar beets are processed, the fiberous core is left. These cores are squeezed free of all water, and shredded and dried and then sold as animal feed. Its GREAT for helping put weight on horses in a healthy way. Ask your vet about it to make sure it wouldn't interfere with your current diet. :)

Keep as much hay and forage into your horse as possible. Unless your vet says otherwise, ALWAYS have hay or grass for him to chew on in the pasture. Horses are grazing animals and need lots of grass at their disposal so they can graze freely.

3 big scoops of grain sounds like alot for one meal. Can you break this up into 2 meals? Can you break it into 3? Without knowing what you feed and the nutritional contents of the product, I can't guess at the proper dosage. Does the feed come with serving instructions on the bag?

Answer 2

I would start by trying to give him grain 2 times a day. Horses are used to grazing, so the more times a day you can feed him the better. I might try giving him some seinor grain. If you stay on the same grain, try upping it slowly, feeding perhaps 2 scoops morning and night. If he still does not improve, corn oil id inexpensive, and you can put it right in his grain, start with about a tablespoon morning and night and work your way up, 1/2 a cup daily is usually enough. If all else fails, beetpulp. Make sure you soak it in water. Horses should get 1-3 % of their body weght in concentrates, and roughages daily, more roughages than concentrate, so giving him more hay couold also help him gain weight.

Answer 3

If your horse is 23 I certainly wouldn't start him on a new regiment due to risks of colic..I would continue with the present diet, only change the amount per feeding. If you give him 3 scoops once a day, I would split it up and feed him twice. 1 and a half scoops in the morning, where they should be fed and again with the 1 and a half in the afternoon. Also remember that it's normal for your horse's weight to fluctuate throughout the year as food sources change..particularly the absence of grass. Hope this helps.

Answer 4

Have your vet give him a good check up. Often dental issues can cause weight loss or inability to maintain. Your vet could also recommend a good fat supplement available locally. I had a 25 year old Holsteiner that I had a similar issue with last year. We ran bloodwork, checked his teeth and added a supplement. His bloodwork showed nothing abnormal, his teeth were great (I had them done regularly) and the only thing that helped was the supplement. The one I used was a general vitamin, mineral and fat mixture available through a friend of mine's feed/supply store. Sometimes their digestion and ability to take in nutrients changes as they age. You guy may just need some extra support. Best of luck with him! I miss my old man (I had to have him put down this fall)... Enjoy your time with him....

Answer 5

There is a couple of products for older horses --(feed supplement) one is senior horse and another is super horse by horse guard --two to three flakes of hay morning and night and at least three pounds of grain a day --he might have some high points on his back teeth and that will cause him to not chew his food well enough and they will loose weight--also older horses seem to loose just for the sake of age alone--Make sure you are giving him daily vitamins too and that he has a mineral block and always plenty of water--

Answer 6

In the winder months your should feed twice a day If you are feeding alafa then just a total of 3 flakes a day, timothey up to 4 flakes a day and grass or local hay up to 5 flacks a day. Grain I would keep at cup morning and night. is he out and moving around or stalled

Answer 7

we feed are older horses EQUINE SENIOR, it is a PURINA brand. we have experimented with many feeds and this year we tried EQUINE SENIOR and it has done wonders on are five older horses. it helps make up for the lose of grass and hay that old horses miss out on due to teeth or other health proplems..... it targets those areas that older horses loose alot of their wieght on- like withers, hips, back, neck. depending on how much he weights is how much u feed him. we feed ours grain in the morning and at night.... about 6 pounds a day....wich is a coffee can in the morning and a coffee can at night... we also provide access to hay all the time..... we have been feeding them this feed since september and have noticed a huge difference and would highly reccomend it

Answer 8

make sure there isnt a problem with him. i feed mine two scoops and a full thing of hay and they all maintain their weight. him being 23 and all there is a possibility he might be a little sick.

Answer 9

if yr horse is losing weight, & is in a pasture, he may pace & lose weight. Put him in a stall. Otherwise if he is losing weight, Give him weight bran. Also, Call your vet.

Answer 10

I HELP MY GRANDMA WITH HORSES AND U FEED THEM AT 6 IN THE MORNING AND 5 AT NIGHT